


Plans Interrupted

by Amebb42



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Marriage Proposal, Mild Ron Weasley Bashing, Percy is Kinky, Rupi Kaur's Poetry, Soulmates, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, With Love Weasley Fest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:40:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29113173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amebb42/pseuds/Amebb42
Summary: Hermione and Charlie have been dating for some time and falling in love for far longer. This Valentine's Day, they have plans for a very romantic first sexual experience together. But their plans are interrupted... again and again and again.
Relationships: Arthur Weasley/Molly Weasley, Fleur Delacour/Bill Weasley, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Charlie Weasley
Comments: 29
Kudos: 109
Collections: With Love Weasley





	Plans Interrupted

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [With_Love_Weasley](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/With_Love_Weasley) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> They are planning to have sex for the first time on Valentine’s Day, but the rest of the Weasleys just won’t leave them alone.
> 
> This has been so much fun to write! 
> 
> If you were to actually figure out the year this story takes place in, it would undoubtedly be before Rupi Kaur was publishing her poetry. But I liked the poem and thought it was well suited to the topic, so we're going to pretend it works out chronologically, mmmmmmkay?
> 
> Thank you to my alpha, omnenomnom, and my beta, astrangefan! As always, I couldn't do it without you!

Hermione was nervous. She didn’t usually get nervous and there was certainly no reason to be now. But the more she told herself that, the more nervous she became. 

Even as meticulous a planner as she was, she had never planned a first-time-together sexcapade before. Of course he would have plenty of input into what exactly happened, but… it was taking place in her flat, which made her feel responsible for how things were set up and how they began. 

She could almost hear his laughter in her head. He would tell her it was going to be wonderful no matter what happened, and snuggle her to his huge, muscled chest where she could trace his scars and tattoos and calm herself down with his scent. 

Hermione sighed happily at the thought. She couldn’t wait for tomorrow! She usually hated Valentine’s Day, but he was determined to change her opinion of it. It made her a little giddy and also a little exasperated - really a common combination where Charlie Weasley was concerned.

Their relationship was nothing like she had ever experienced before. It had begun through an argument on how to best advocate for house elves. They had so enjoyed coming to the conclusion that they were both somewhat right and somewhat wrong, that they continued exchanging academic letters on creature research and how to apply it. Then there were the occasional conversations on holidays he was home. It had all slowly become more personal until they were pouring out their guarded secrets and deepest hopes to one another on the pages of their correspondence. 

For Christmas two years ago, Hermione had given him a charmed notebook, paired with one for her, so that when one of them wrote, the other instantly got the message. Her exhausted owl, Athena, was deeply grateful. Last year, he had gotten her a locket, she had gotten him a necklace with a dragon carved from a scale, and, before he went back to Romania, she had charmed them for two way communication almost like a phone so that they could actually speak to each other as long as they were each holding theirs at the same time. Even with instant communication and such an intense connection, they had still tried to claim just friendship for a while. 

It was Charlie who had given in first. He actually sent the confession by owl because he didn’t want her to see it as he was writing it or stumble over the words if he tried to say it. He had explained at the beginning that he had rewritten it a hundred times at least to make sure he said it right. It was so adorably  _ Charlie _ that she couldn’t have imagined it any other way. 

She had been thrilled by his words, but so scared at the time to pursue things. If it failed, she would lose her best friend in the world. Yes, she still had the boys - well, mostly Harry these days. Ron was busy with his newest girlfriend and the mothers of his two children. He didn’t really have time for her and, honestly, Hermione was relieved. Their friendship had never entirely recovered from their relationship. Which was another reason that taking things to the next level with Charlie had scared her.

She couldn’t be happier that she eventually let him talk her into it, but they had still taken things very slowly. She had visited him in Romania over the summer and they had cuddled and spent time together, even slept in the same bed, but hadn’t so much as kissed. It wasn’t until this past Christmas, trapped under the twins’ charmed mistletoe that they had shared their first kiss. The whole family had clapped and catcalled, but no one knew about their relationship and they both wanted to keep it that way. So she had practically run away from him as soon as it was over, only repeating the experience later when she snuck into his bedroom after everyone else was asleep. They still laughed about it.

The kissing had set them both on fire. When she visited the Reserve again at the end of January, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. She would have been perfectly happy to take things all the way then, but Charlie wanted to make it more romantic for her. He had pointed out that Valentine’s Day was close and revealed his big surprise - that he had asked off of work and would be spending that day, plus a few more, with her if she would have him. She certainly intended to have him!

But the anticipation and desire for perfection, however silly, was making her very nervous.

Later, she realized it was probably her nervousness that made her careless. Normally, she checked everything about herself and her wards before setting foot in her flat after a day of work. She knew it was overly paranoid, but some things from the war would probably never leave her. And things like this really did happen to her.

  
  


**************************

  
  


Charlie was frantic when he heard that Hermione had been the recipient of a dark magic artifact. He wanted to get to her immediately, but his portkey didn’t leave until midday tomorrow. He had never been more grateful to have the ability to communicate with her quickly. 

Despite being at St. Mungo’s, she assured him she was okay and would even be out before he arrived. The Aurors had already caught the woman - a Death Eater sympathizer convinced they would rise again - and were certain she acted alone. Hermione was perfectly safe, but it didn’t help Charlie’s anxiety on her behalf. 

He had to laugh over  _ her _ anxiety. Hermione’s biggest worry was that her flat was now vulnerable until Bill finished restoring the wards on it. Harry was insistent she stay out of it. But Bill was in France with Fleur for the holiday. So their “sexcapade” as she had dubbed it, could no longer happen there. She was frantically trying to book a hotel room, but everywhere was sold out. Charlie had already assured her they could make the Burrow work, especially since both of them were staying there. He happened to know that his dad had a big surprise for Mum, so they should have the house to themselves. 

He couldn’t wait to have her in his arms. 

  
  


******************

Molly had insisted on being at St. Mungo’s when Hermione was released and escorted her to the Burrow. While she was a little irritated that her stand-in Mum wouldn’t let her take care of herself, it certainly made things easier as far as being there when Charlie “surprised” them.

“Hermione, could you see who’s here, dear?” Molly asked when they heard the  _ whoosh _ of the floo. She was in the middle of baking various sweets to send to each of her children, making lunch, and tending to laundry, the clothing magically moving itself along under her watchful eye.

“Of course,” Hermione answered, hurrying into the sitting room where she threw herself into Charlie’s waiting arms. 

“Where’s Mum?” he whispered.

“In the kitchen, doing three things at once,” Hermione whispered back. She was delighted to see the grin that crossed his face.

His lips were on hers, hungrily devouring her mouth as she gave him equal treatment. Hermione had to hold back a moan lest his mother hear. Charlie’s low groan said that he was struggling to stay quiet as well. They broke the kiss far sooner than either of them wanted to.

Charlie ran his thumb along her cheek, his eyes full of promises, before sighing. “Guess we shouldn’t hang out in here too long without announcing it’s me. Go on.”

“Molly!” Hermione called. “It’s Charlie!” She was grateful that everyone was always excited to see him, so it wasn’t necessary to pretend she wasn’t.

Hermione could hear the matriarch shrieking from the kitchen. Within moments, she was bustling into the sitting room and enveloping her son in one of her bone crushing hugs. 

“I’m so happy you’re here! But… is everything okay? Are you hurt?” Molly had pulled back and was giving him a once over, looking for injuries.

“I just got a few days off and wanted to surprise you all,” he explained. The original plan had been that he would spend the majority of the time at Hermione’s without even letting the family know he was in town until the last day or two, but he had made it very clear he wasn’t giving up any days with Hermione even if it meant extra time being smothered and lectured.

Molly was so thrilled that she didn’t even complain about his hair. She did of course declare him too skinny, as if there was any part of Charlie’s body that wasn’t magnificent, and demanded he come eat. Hermione rolled her eyes fondly as they followed Molly into the kitchen for lunch.

********************

They were just clearing up the dishes when Charlie noticed his father outside the window gesturing wildly at him. He nodded back then looked around, thankful his Mum had been turned toward the sink. 

“I think I need to go outside and stretch my legs a bit. Traveling always makes me fancy a walk. Hermione…”

“Will be happy to help me. You go on, Charlie, dear,” his mother cut in. 

His eyes met Hermione’s. She was laughing silently. When he still stood there, she made a shooing motion before his mother could turn and see. 

Sighing, Charlie headed outside to find his dad. He had thought the man would be at work for a while yet, but this could work in his favor. Mum obviously wasn’t letting them go anytime soon unless she was distracted by something else.

“Charlie boy!” Arthur said excitedly when Charlie walked into his shed. “I wasn’t expecting you home!” 

He was enveloped in a hug before he could get a word out. He finally managed to say that he had wanted to surprise them. 

His father grinned broadly and nodded, clapping his hands together as he did. “Well, since you’re here, you can help!” 

Charlie managed not to groan. He even smiled a little. Pop’s ideas were usually pretty bad for this kind of thing, but he tried. That groan was harder to hold back when he saw his father walk over to some muggle contraption. A moment later, he realized this was one he knew well and breathed a sigh of relief. He could rescue his father from damaging it. 

“Do you have records for it?” Charlie asked him.

“Yes!” Arthur answered enthusiastically. He handed Charlie a collection of very old muggle country music. And one shiny new record from Celestina Warbeck. 

“Celestina puts her music out on muggle record?” Charlie was baffled.

“Oh yes. The muggles love it. Just some of her songs, of course. But look at the back of the label. Muggles describe it as ‘magical’ apparently,” Arthur explained, chuckling. “Now. We’re going to take this in the house. I need you to set it up to play one of these.” He handed Charlie a couple of random records from the muggle pile.

“Pop...you know muggle electric devices don’t work with magic, right?”

“Oh, that’s why we’re not using their more modern music players. These round players will do the trick with a little charm I can teach you,” his father said conspiratorially. This was quite an illegal thing to do, of course. As he would well know since it was his department’s job to oversee the confiscation of such items. Naturally, their home was full of them. Charlie shook his head as he listened carefully and learned the charm. 

“So you want me to put on one of the old ones instead of Warbeck?” Charlie was a little confused by Pop’s plan.

“Yes. So that she’ll go over to change it. When she gets near, it’s going to switch to Celestina and she’ll see the tickets on top!”

Charlie had to admit, this was one of the better ideas he had heard from the man over the years. But Pop wasn’t done.

“I bought her a new dress, too!” He said enthusiastically, pulling out a flowery piece that almost made Charlie cringe. Mum would love it. “I’m going to put a charm on her yarn basket and let her follow the yarn right to it!”

“That sounds fun, Pops. Maybe you’d like to ask Hermione to do it?” Charlie suggested. 

“No, no. There’s no use bothering her. Plus, she’s an excellent distraction for your mother while we sneak these things in through the front,” Arthur said, smiling merrily. 

Charlie agreed, though he was a little worried about how this would play out. Pops wasn’t all that adept at charms. He tended to get too distracted while casting them. Still, this was a sweet plan and Mum would love the effort if it all went well. Charlie gathered the record player, a muggle record by someone named Leon Redbone, and Celestina’s recording into his strong arms and headed stealthily for the house. 

  
  


*****************************

  
  


Hermione had just reassured Molly for what felt like the thousandth time that Charlie was perfectly capable of taking care of himself on a walk. No, they did not need to go searching for him. She had been foolish enough at one point to offer the possibility that he had gone for a swim in their little lake. That resulted in half an hour of Molly panicking about the cold he was going to catch. 

Honestly, Hermione was every bit as anxious to have him back in the house as Molly was, just for very different reasons. She had to keep reminding herself that, whatever Arthur had wanted his son for, it was undoubtedly going to lead to the elder Weasleys leaving the house. She was still relieved when she saw a pair of redheads making their way to the front of the house, arms full and trying to look stealthy. 

It was only a few minutes until she began hearing a rather strange clicking noise. Mrs. Weasley stopped what she was doing and turned toward the sitting room, head to one side like she didn’t quite understand. 

“Are you knitting, dear?” she asked Hermione. 

Hermione blinked. “No… Why?”

“That sound. It’s my knitting needles. How odd.” Molly started moving toward the room and Hermione wasn’t sure if she was supposed to stop her or not. 

Thankfully, or not, at that moment music began to play. Horrible music. She vaguely recognized it as an old muggle country singer. Her father had tortured her with that music as a child. If she misbehaved on long family car rides, that was what they would listen to for the next hour. She shuddered at the memory as Molly began shuddering to the reality of it right now. 

She followed Molly into the sitting room, curious what Charlie and Arthur were up to. They came to the knitting basket first. Molly looked quite put out that the yarn was dancing away from her… until it led straight to a flowery dress. She gasped and snatched it up to look more closely, beaming from ear to ear. 

Well, until she realized what the yarn was up to now. After leading Molly to the dress, the yarn had begun to wrap itself around the matriarch and was pulling tighter and tighter. If it had been anyone else, Hermione might have laughed for a moment before helping them. As it was, she quickly used a  _ Finite Incantatem _ to get the yarn off of her. It snapped back to the basket, tangling as it went. 

“Oh, Molly! I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for it to get all tied up like that.”

“It’s not your fault. ARTHUR!” she yelled. “Drat. He can’t even hear me over that infernal noise. Let me turn this off.” 

She stomped over to what Hermione realized was a muggle record player. When she was just a few feet away, it suddenly switched to the familiar strains of Celestina Warbeck. Hermione heard Molly give an excited squeal. 

“TICKETS!?! Arthur Weasley, where are you hiding!?” the woman gushed. 

Arthur, followed by Charlie, came out from the disillusionment charm he had been under. Arthur was grinning from ear to ear as he practically ran to her and lifted her off her feet, spinning her around. Molly blushed and laughed. 

“Go get ready, Mollywobbles. Wear your new dress! We’re going out for dinner before the concert,” he told her. And she didn’t need telling twice. 

  
  


**************************

They were finally alone! Charlie had been afraid for a moment that his Mum was actually going to turn down going to the concert just because he was home. 

“But you’ve only just arrived and here I am bustling off to leave you home alone. And on a holiday where you should be with someone, too!” she had said. Charlie had known that Hermione was biting her tongue in that moment to keep from pointing out that she would be there as well. That wouldn’t help keep their relationship quiet, though, so she had let him reassure his mother that he had paperwork to do anyway and shooed his parents out the door.

Now, they were laying together on the sofa. Charlie had his arms full of his witch and their lips were back together where they belonged. He honestly couldn’t believe how right it felt to be with Hermione. He knew he hadn’t been interested in anyone else in years, but that almost made it more surprising to find himself so deeply attracted and attached. Gentle kisses quickly turned into a deep snog.

Charlie slid his hand under the hem of her jumper and felt her smile against his lips. Encouraged, he moved his hand further north, gasping when he came to the underside of her breast and realized she wasn’t wearing a bra.

He groaned his approval against her neck. He moved one large hand over the impossibly soft skin of her breast, smirking when her nipple hardened and she shivered. 

“Not. Fair,” she whimpered, her fingers grasping the bottom of his jumper and tugging. He didn’t stop her as she drug it slowly up and over his head. Her fingers were immediately tracing his scars and tattoos. It made his body quake with longing for more.

Low and husky, he teased, “Wait. You want to rip my shirt off to be ‘fair’ when yours is still on?” 

Hermione gave him the smile she knew drove him wild and asked, “Why don’t you do something about it?”

KNOCK.

“What was that?”

They heard it again. “A knock at the front?” Charlie said, though he sounded unsure. No one used the front door. 

He pulled his shirt back on while Hermione picked up a book and focused on looking like she was reading.

At another insistent knock, Charlie opened the door to find Aunt Muriel standing there. They stared at each other for a moment.

“Well if it’s not the prodigal son,” she finally said, looking him up and down. “Still the uncouth wild one. Do you own a brush for that mane? Are you going to invite me in?”

That was the last thing Charlie wanted to do, but Mum would have his hide if he didn’t humor the old witch. 

“Do come in Aunt Muriel. I’m sorry. I was surprised to see you.”

“Of course you’re surprised. You don’t ever come home so how would you know that I come by every week to be sure my little niece is feeding her family appropriately,” Muriel grumbled as she pushed past him.

Unfortunately, she moved fast enough that she heard Hermione’s snort at the idea that Molly might ever leave anyone unfed. “Is that a pig I hear?” Aunt Muriel asked, sticking her nose up. “Oh. Just the muggleborn. Well, your ankles are still too skinny, but I suppose you’re making up for it with the size of your hair. It looks like someone has been running their hands through it. People will think you’re a tart!”

Hermione blushed. Charlie bit his tongue to keep from telling the woman to get out.

Instead, he said, “Mum is out. Pops got tickets for Celestina Warbeck.”

Aunt Muriel gasped, “And the ungrateful child didn’t even think to ask me along?”

Charlie huffed, “It’s Valentine’s Day, Aunt Muriel. They’re on a date.”

“They’re hardly young enough for that sort of thing. Mark my words, you’ll have another brother if they insist on keeping up such disgraceful behavior.”

Hermione was trying to hide her giggles behind her book while Aunt Muriel gave her a disapproving glare. 

“Well, since they’re not here, I have paperwork to do and I would hate to bore you. It’s all about dragons,” Charlie explained.

“Still on about those fire-breathing monsters, are you? You’ll wind up dead before you ever grow up,” Muriel said disapprovingly. 

“Most likely,” Charlie agreed as he maneuvered her toward the door.

“Do tell your mother I’ll be by tomorrow and that I’m most disappointed in her,” Aunt Muriel said sharply.

“Of course, Aunty,” he replied as he closed the door behind her. She  _ hated  _ being called that. 

They heard her grumbling irately outside. He managed to hold onto his laughter until he got back to Hermione and they began to kiss again through their mirth. His shirt was quickly on the floor again.

Charlie’s fingers had just started to pull her jumper up when there was the telltale  _ whoosh _ of the floo and she leapt away from him before he could raise it any further. 

“Mione!” a frantic cry sounded before anyone had even materialized, quickly followed by a body tumbling out of the floo covered in soot. Charlie jumped up to see if the person was okay.

Emerald green eyes under a head of tousled black hair were staring up at him wide-eyed as the Boy Who Lived looked between Charlie and the girl Harry considered a sister. 

  
  


**********************

If she weren’t so frustrated at the moment, Hermione had to admit the situation would have been funny. Harry was clearly in an anxious spiral about something, but that meant he looked wilder than ever, with every bit of his hair standing on end from all the times he had no doubt run his hands through it. His clothes were fancy and she knew he was supposed to be on a date with Ginny, so she was a little worried, but the fact that every inch of him was somehow blackened with soot was pretty hilarious. The poor boy had never entirely gotten the hang of flooing gracefully, especially when he was in a tizzy.

“I’m right here, Harry,” she said. “What’s wrong?”

“I… why is Charlie’s shirt off?” His eyes were on the accused article of clothing on the floor.

Hermione rolled her eyes. “He was showing me his latest tattoo. It’s a really good one, see?” She turned away from Harry and winked at her boyfriend innocently before running a finger lightly down his side to tickle the Romanian Redtail he had gotten most recently. Goosebumps followed her pathway down and she could tell it was taking effort for him not to moan.

Trying not to gasp aloud, Charlie managed to play along, “I have a couple of others you probably haven’t seen yet, Harry. Can’t show them off when Mum’s around, you know.”

Harry stared at the two of them for a second before shaking his head. “I… I’ll see them sometime but, I need to talk to Mione right now.”

“Is everything okay?” she asked now. “I thought you would be out with Ginny by now.”

“I should be!” Harry practically wailed as he ran his hands through his hair again, “What am I going to do if she says no!?!”

“You’re doing it tonight?” Hermione asked, bouncing off the sofa and racing over to hug him, scourgifying the soot away before she actually touched him. 

Harry glanced speculatively at Charlie before nodding. “I know I said I was going to wait for her birthday, but I’m ready now. I don’t want to wait.” His voice was strong and steady when he said that. Hermione knew his love for Ginny was unshakeable. 

Before she had the chance to say so, Harry’s voice went back to the panicked tone he was using when he arrived, “But I just know she’s going to say no and we’ll be in front of people and I don’t think I can do this… ever, not just tonight. She means too much to me, Mione. You know how I…”

“Harry James Potter,” Hermione finally cut in, “That girl has loved you since she was at least 10 years old. She’s been waiting for you to propose for years. She is not going to say no.”

“But what if I say the wrong thing?” he groaned, head in his hands as he dropped onto the sofa between the two of them. 

“You love her, Harry. No matter what you say, she knows that and she’ll hear it in whatever words come out,” Hermione assured him.

Charlie was nodding beside her, still shirtless. “I know you weren’t here to get advice from me, but I say just pop the question quickly. Then you won’t have to worry about it anymore.”

Harry’s eyes lit up. “Yeah! I’ll just… when we’re together. I’ll just ask and then we can celebrate! Thanks, you two. Act surprised when we come tell you about it later!” 

With that, he was racing back over to the floo and gone before they could blink. She and Charlie looked at each other. Hermione wasn’t sure who started it, but they were soon laughing together, snuggling into each other. Merlin, she loved the feel of his skin against her. 

  
  


******************

When he moved her slightly to the side so he could get up from the sofa, Hermione looked mildly offended. “Closing the floo, love,” he explained. 

“Oh, thank goodness. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it!” she said.

“No more interruptions,” he said with a smile. Charlie was ready to deeply connect with Hermione. 

They started to kiss again when Hermione suddenly pulled away from him. She bit her lip before saying, “Maybe we should take this to the bedroom?” Her voice was trembling in a way that made his pants even tighter than they already were.

“Already?” he asked.

“Yes! No. I mean… just in case someone else comes in.”

“No one else is likely to drop by,” Charlie reasoned, nibbling at the crook of her neck. Hermione giggled before pushing him back. 

“I just want to be sure before our clothes come off. That was almost very embarrassing.”

Charlie rolled his eyes, but grinned. “Well, how much can I really complain about getting you in bed?” He took her hand and led her to the stairs.

Soon, the two of them were in his room. Charlie couldn’t complain at all when she pushed him down to sit and straddled his lap, grinding against the bulge in his pants. He wrapped his arms around her, his firm hands pressing her even closer. 

“I think we’re still a little uneven here,” he said huskily, tugging at her jumper. Before he could work it off of her, she gripped the hem and quickly pulled it off, barely breaking their kiss.

Charlie shuddered at the feel of her skin against his own. He could feel her wild heartbeat. His fingers traced her scars and he delighted in the way she shook and the look in her eyes when he told her how beautiful she was. It took almost no time before he had their jeans off and he was on top of her on the bed. He wanted this to be slow and romantic, but sweet Merlin, he wanted to be inside her.

Their tongues were stroking one another and their bodies rocking together with hands everywhere when the creak of the stairs and the stomp of footsteps sounded in Charlie’s ears and he froze. Hermione didn’t catch the sound as fast and she giggled loudly, thinking he had frozen because of what she was doing with her hands around his cock.

He heard Percy’s shout in the hallway moments before the door swung open, “Who’s here!?”

He leapt away from Hermione, grabbing a random stack of papers from his desk, though how he thought he would convince Percy they had been simply going over research damn nearly nude, he couldn’t begin to explain. Fortunately, Hermione muttered a spell he didn’t know and they were both fully dressed again before Percy was in the room. 

“Charlie!” Percy shouted excitedly. “You’re home? Nevermind, you’re just who I need!” Suddenly noticing the girl on the bed, he added a shocked, “Hermione?”

She looked at him with a cocked eyebrow as though it were perfectly normal for her to be stretched out on Charlie’s bed. He cleared his throat and said, “I was just going over some research I’ve been doing with Hermione.” Charlie was impressed with his own ability to speak without the husky tone he had only moments before.

“Oh, of course,” Percy said, happily dismissing the situation to focus on his own. “So… do you still keep your leather repair kit with you?”

Charlie nodded, “Of course. Do you need to repair something?”

“Yes,” Percy drew the word out for a moment, looking contemplative. “It would really help if you did it, though. You’re a lot better at it than I am.”

“What were you going to do if I wasn’t here?” Charlie laughed.

“There’s the old quidditch repair kit in the attic, but your kit is much better. So if you could fix it for me, I would really appreciate it,” Percy explained. From his pocket, he pulled a tiny wad of leather which he enlarged back to its normal size. But it still just looked like a pile of leather straps. 

Charlie gave a low whistle. “Didn’t Mum say you weren’t to ever bring that stuff in this house again?”

“I really don’t see why repairing them here is a problem. It’s not like I’m living here and using them in my room anymore. Besides, it’s not my fault she can’t respect privacy wards and insists on barging in through a locked door.”

Hermione’s eyebrows rose and she sat up to get a closer look, “What is it?”

“Don’t ask questions unless you’re sure you want to know the answer,” Percy said, pushing his glasses up his nose and looking down at her. 

Charlie could see the curiosity dancing in Hermione’s eyes, but he didn’t think they were quite ready for that level of fun tonight. “I thought you were going out with the guys.” Charlie said. “That’s what Mum said anyway.”

“Oh, I am,” Percy replied with a sly smile. “And a few ladies. Hermione, you’re looking well tonight. You really shouldn’t be alone on Valentine’s. Want to come out with me? With a group of us?” 

Charlie wanted to growl and grab onto Hermione possessively. No way in hell were any of his brothers getting their hands on her. 

“I’m not sure I’m ready to find out what you’re doing with a leather harness that had your Mum threatening to throw you out on your arse, Percy. Especially not with a group,” Hermione told him. 

“Perhaps another time when it could just be us.” His eyes slid down Hermione’s figure in a way that was far too lewd to be on little Percy’s face. 

"Percy!" Hermione gasped. 

Charlie grit his teeth and handed the harness over, grateful that he was so adept at his leather working and could get rid of his brother quickly. If he had to listen to the prat come on to his girl one more time, he was going to put him through a wall - and harness him there. 

Hermione laughed. “I… um… thanks for the offer, but no.”

Percy gave her a smile she had seen on other Weasleys but never him. “That’s what they all say, but then curiosity gets the better of them,” he quipped. “Thanks, Char! You've saved my night, and at least a few other people's as well." He winked, then sauntered out of the room and down the stairs, leaving Charlie sputtering and Hermione cackling.

*******************

Hermione gave Charlie a speculative look. She wanted to get back to what they had been doing, but this was a logical time… 

“I’m kind of hungry. Should we go down and make some food?” she asked. 

Charlie shook his head. “I can do better than that, love. If you’re hungry, let’s go out somewhere.” 

“Thanks to your brother, we  _ are _ dressed. Might as well,” Hermione agreed. 

Charlie humphed a little at the mention of his brother. “Anywhere you want to eat? Any particular type of food?”

“There’s a really nice little cafe off the beaten path at Diagon Alley. It should be fairly quiet tonight. It might not be romantic enough,” Hermione said, blushing. “But it’s my favorite place to eat these days. There are cozy chairs and books everywhere and…”

Charlie’s smile was adoring and his eyes sparkled fondly when he said, “It sounds perfect, bookworm.”

They donned heavy cloaks for the apparition into the Leaky, not wanting anyone to notice them. As they walked briskly down the street, however, Charlie’s hood came down and a couple of people stopped to greet him. Hermione enjoyed how well-loved he was, even if she was a little annoyed that people wouldn’t leave them alone. It was hard, too, to hear him say he was just out with a friend, even though she knew it was necessary if they didn’t want to tell the whole family yet. 

Hermione wasn’t concerned, though. Not until she saw another telltale red head moving their way. She tugged on Charlie’s sleeve. It took him a moment to respond, midway through a dragon tale, but he paled and started making his excuses when she leaned up and whispered in his ear that one of the twins was coming their way. 

What happened next could only be described as a ridiculous chase through Diagon Alley. They dodged in and out of shops and up and down side alleys. Even though it took considerably longer to reach their destination than it should have, they were both rosy cheeked and laughing when they stepped inside the cafe, confident they had escaped.

They picked their meals and settled into a cozy sofa together. It was more crowded than usual, but still quiet, intimate in a bookish way. Hermione loved it and she could tell by the way he was taking everything in that Charlie wasn’t opposed to the place either. She started to pick up an interesting looking book on potions theory from the table in front of them, but Charlie slid it out of her reach. 

“I’ll never get you out of here if you start reading that. I thought I could read to you instead - from this,” Charlie said, brandishing a book of love poems from a display up front.

“Really?” Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow at him. 

“I’ll have you know I love a good poem,” he told her, humming as he flipped through and found one he liked. 

Hermione was thrilled to find that he actually meant it. They passed the book back and forth, reading to one another, making fun of some, laughing and talking between them. Then came the deeper poems and the sexy ones. 

Charlie’s voice was low and rumbling as he read  _ january first _ by Rupi Kaur, staring straight into Hermione’s eyes when he looked up after each line. She couldn’t stop staring at his lips while the words were forming there.

“You are a sucker for firsts

they always make you feel

a little lighter, like

the first time your

lover’s lips kiss that

tender spot on your neck

nothing puts your

stomach into more knots

than first moments

that remind you

this life is  _ electric _

each second is

worth melting for.”

Hermione was painfully aware that she needed her soaked knickers off at this point. Without hesitation, she grabbed his hand and pulled him up off the sofa with her. “I think it’s time to go.” 

He enthusiastically agreed, but as they started for the door, someone tapped Hermione on the shoulder. Turning, she found herself caught by the twinkling eyes of the twins. She gasped and Charlie groaned. 

“That was some…”

“titillating reading…” 

“you two were doing,” the twins said, grinning at them. 

“Don’t you dare tell…” Charlie started.

“Tell what, brother dear?” George asked innocently.

“Surely you’re not hiding anything with our family friend here?” Fred added.

“Anything we might pass on to Mum or Ginny?” they said in perfect unison.

Hermione and Charlie groaned together.

George suddenly stuck his hand out, a plate with a decadent looking cheesecake slice innocently sitting on it. “There surely won’t be anything to tell if you sit back down and eat this together.”

“While we watch,” said Fred eagerly.

Charlie glared at them. “What’s it going to do?”

“Do? Don’t you trust us?” Fred asked.

“NO,” Charlie and Hermione answered together.

“Hurts, that does,” George said.

Fred, though, seemed ready to stop playing. “It won’t change you into anything or cause any kind of bodily harm or sickness.”

“But what  _ will _ it do?” Hermione pressed.

“We’ll see,” Fred said, folding his long body down onto an armchair across from their sofa. 

Hermione and Charlie looked at one another for a moment, then Charlie nodded. “Give it here.” They sat back down and each took a fork. She moaned after the first bite. Charlie wasn’t quite as sensual with it, but he did comment that it was delicious.

“Eat it all,” George encouraged. 

“I don’t think I could stand to leave any of it here,” Hermione told him honestly.

The twins grinned at that. 

Charlie took the last bite and still nothing had happened. Hermione was feeling confused. “Did you actually just give us a piece of cheesecake with nothing…”

At that moment, a beautiful but blessedly silent firework display went off just over their heads, sprinkling tiny hearts of gold down on them. It didn’t seem like it would be stopping anytime soon. All the other patrons of the shop turned to watch, many saying things like “Awwww” and “Isn’t that sweet?” The twins, however, looked gobsmacked, staring at the two of them in awe.

“What?” Charlie asked.

“Was that not what it was supposed to do?” Hermione added.

George cleared his throat. “No, that was exactly… it’s just... “

“Best outcome really…” Fred said.

“Gotta go! We’ll see you two later! Much later, we swear!” With that, they were gone, leaving their fireworks still filling the cafe.

“Well, that was… odd,” Hermione said.

Charlie nodded and looked down at her, “Still ready to go home?”

She blushed and smiled. “More than ready.” 

They didn’t even notice the way the gold hearts followed them out.

  
  


*****************

He should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. Charlie felt his temper rising to meet his sister’s when she raced into the sitting room, yelling.

“Hermione Granger! Where the bloody hell have you been!? I need you!” Ginny shouted. Then she stopped abruptly as she noticed him. “Charlie!” 

Momentarily distracted, she came in for the giant greeting hug they always gave each other. Charlie only felt slightly guilty that he was tense enough for her to notice his lack of enthusiasm. He was feeling pretty done with his family right about now.

“So what’s wrong?” Hermione asked.

“That. That absolute prat!”

“One of your brothers?” Hermione asked, knowing Ginny would just curse about whoever it was and entirely forget to mention who she was talking about.

Ginny gaped at her. “No! I mean Harry!”

Charlie felt his own eyebrows raise as much as Hermione’s were doing. 

“What happened?” Hermione looked confused and wary.

Ginny was pacing as she answered. “First, he was half an hour late showing up. THEN. Then he got there and he just… just ‘will you marry me?’ just like that!” Her voice held all the fury… that Charlie didn’t understand in the slightest.

“You don’t want to marry him?” Charlie asked. “I thought you had been waiting for him to ask.”

“Of course I do! But he just  _ asked _ . Like he wanted to know if we were going to the store or something. There was no romance, no  _ care _ in coming up with a plan! It’s like he didn’t even want to make it  _ special _ .”

Hermione gave Charlie a side-eyed look. “Ginny, Harry was late because he came to me for advice. He was so worried about how to ask you properly.”

“And… uh…” Charlie rubbed the back of his neck. “Just asking like that may have been my fault. I kind of told him you love him so much that it wouldn’t matter and you would say yes no matter how he did it.”

Ginny stared at him. “No wonder you can’t get a girlfriend.”

“Ginny!” Hermione scolded, but Charlie didn’t give her time to continue. 

“I told him to do it early in the night, too, so you could spend the rest of the night celebrating. I didn’t realize what a self-centered brat you are!”

“Charlie!” Hermione cried, sounding scandalized. 

“What?” He was angrier than Ginny now. He didn’t even notice the  _ whoosh _ of the floo behind him as Harry stepped into the room only slightly less soot-covered than he had been earlier. Charlie barreled ahead. “You think it’s okay the way she’s behaving? If I ask you at the wrong time, would you act like that?”

Everyone suddenly froze. 

“You’re asking Hermione to marry you?” The incredulous voice was Harry’s, barely above a whisper. 

Charlie turned slowly, taking in the looks on the girls’ faces as he did. Ginny had been staring in shock, but her lips were already moving into a sly smirk. Hermione’s mouth was parted just slightly, her eyes wide and searching when they met his. She was so beautiful looking at him like that. He had to clear his throat of the emotion caught there to respond to Harry. “Not tonight. But it could happen.”

“Someday, you mean?” Harry questioned. “Like, if you ever started dating. Not that you would with the distance and everything. Plus, it’s Hermione, but…”

“Just what is  _ that _ supposed to mean?” Hermione broke in. 

“Er… you know,” Harry said, though his attention was still on Charlie. 

He was biting his tongue while he figured out the epic retort that deserved. But Charlie never got the opportunity to respond. Ginny was suddenly rushing to Hermione. 

“What’s in your hair?” she asked as she pulled one of the gold hearts from Hermione’s mass of curls. 

“Oh, it was some prank of the twins’ - a nice one for a change. It involved a decadent dessert, fireworks, and a shower of gold hearts.”

Ginny got the exact same gobsmacked expression the twins had earlier, her eyes darting back and forth between Charlie and Hermione. Harry spun to look at them both as well. 

“Gold hearts, you said?” he managed to choke out. “ _ Gold _ ?”

“Yes! Clearly, since we have one right here that came out of my hair.” Hermione exclaimed. “And you’re the second group of people who have reacted that way so now you’re going to tell me what it means.” 

Charlie watched as she pulled out her wand to aim it at her two closest friends. Ginny ran to Harry, grabbed his hand, and started pulling him toward the floo. “You’ll figure it out. We should really be going. Harry has a proposal to make and I have one to accept. We’ll stop bothering you!”

“Ginerva Weasley, you get back here!” Hermione demanded, but it was too late. She growled in frustration. 

Charlie wasn’t sure if he wanted to join her in that or if he was just grateful they were gone. He dropped onto the sofa and put his head in his hands. “You were right,” he groaned.

“I usually am,” she quipped. “But what am I right about this time?”

“We should have just gone ahead when you were in Romania. At this rate, even if we manage to get started without an interruption, we’ll never get to finish without being walked in on.”

Hermione laughed. “You’re probably right.” 

Charlie dropped his head back into his hands. She sat down next to him and nudged his side. “You know I don’t need perfection. I just love you and being with you. But I love that you want it to be so good. I never would have realized what a romantic you are without you wanting this and without our evening of poetry and fireworks.”

“Well, those weren’t exactly my plan, much as I would love to take credit,” he said, but he was smiling again.

Hermione leaned in and gave him a long kiss. “I have an idea. I know Harry doesn’t want me to go to the flat, but Bill won’t get to it until next week sometime since he’s in France with Fleur. I think you and I will be perfectly safe there together for one night. What Harry doesn’t know won’t hurt us.”

Charlie grinned. “I’ll let you protect me, my wild warrior woman.” He could feel nothing but happiness as she wrapped her arms around him and he felt the shrinking feeling of Apparation.

  
  


*******************

  
  


They landed on her bed and Hermione wasted no time climbing on top of him. They were both laughing until his mouth covered hers and the only sound was their heavy breathing. Between kisses, she apologized that she hadn’t been able to set everything up with candles and such. 

“I don’t care. Just want to touch you, love. Want to be one, you and me together,” Charlie mumbled into her shoulder as he kissed along her neck and she worked on pulling his jumper off. It had just hit the floor when the door crashed open.

Hermione screamed, pulling her wand as she rolled off Charlie and onto the floor. Within seconds, there was a three-way stand-off between herself and two redheads. 

“Hermione?” slurred a voice she recognized.

“Bill?” Charlie questioned.

“Charlie?” Bill blinked at his shirtless younger brother. “What are you doing here?”

“ _ I  _ live here,” Hermione said, “What are  _ you _ doing here when you’re supposed to be in France?”

“Drinking,” Bill stated, holding up a nearly empty firewhiskey bottle as if that explained everything.

“That’s obvious,” Hermione snorted, “But why are you doing it here instead of with Fleur.”

Bill stared at her. “Why are you snogging Charlie?”

“Those aren’t connected,” Charlie stated drily. 

“Oh. Thought we were matching burning questions.” Bill took another swig of alcohol. “She’s leaving me. Said I’m not wooing her anymore.”

“What did you plan for this weekend?” Hermione asked.

“We had her Mum babysitting. Got us a nice hotel. Figured we could work on a brother for Vickie.”

“Is that… it?” Charlie asked. “Merlin, Bill, Fleur’s not the kind of woman who stays in on Valentine’s night. Take her out somewhere. Wine and dine her like you did before she married you. Buy her chocolates or flowers or…”

“Read her romantic poetry,” Hermione said, smiling lovingly at Charlie.

“Who does  _ that _ ?” Bill scoffed. 

Hermione and Charlie looked at each other and shook their heads. 

“So…” Bill ventured, “You two going to tell me what’s going on here? I spilled.”

Charlie gave a quiet sigh. “We’re  _ trying _ to have a romantic night of our own, but no one will leave us alone.”

“That sucks, mate. Maybe if you had your own place to go back to, you could…”

Hermione was tapping her foot. “Bill, we  _ are at _ my own place where I expect us to be able to do what we want without being interrupted. Again.”

He was quiet for a moment, looking a bit confused. “Oh. Well, no worries then. I’ll just be polishing off another bottle in the living room. Go ahead and throw up some silencing charms, would ya?”

Charlie rolled his eyes. Hermione put a hand on his shoulder. “Try to talk to him. I’m going to go find some Sober Up Potion.”

“Bill, you’re not staying here. You’re going back to France to show your wife that you love her enough to fight for her.”

“Oh, look who knows something about relationships all of a sudden,” Bill taunted. He had always been an arsehole when he was drunk, but Charlie still felt a little defensive. 

“Just because I don’t bring girls home doesn’t mean I haven’t ever had relationships.”

Bill started to say something else, something mean by the look on his face, but Hermione had appeared beside him and practically shoved the vial of potion down his throat.

Charlie laughed as his brother came back to himself, groaning at the moment of intense headache before things cleared. “ _ Now _ can you get your shit together and go get your wife back?”

“Fuck. Yes. I don’t know what I was thinking. I just needed to get away somewhere and I knew you weren’t supposed to be here until the wards were set.” His eyebrows raised at Hermione. “What are you going to do if Harry comes and finds out you were here?”

“He’s quite busy tonight. And if he can actually tell I’ve been here after that, I’ll find an excuse.” Hermione wasn’t worried about it. Sometimes Harry could be so perceptive, but Hermione doubted he would notice her presence in her own apartment.

“Well, you two have fun. I’m going to go back to France. You’re right, Char, I need to woo my witch and convince her we still belong together.”

  
  


****************

  
  


“Finally!” Hermione breathed when Bill was gone. She was doing some fancy wandwork to block the floo and keep it that way.

Charlie found himself laughing again. He drew Hermione into his arms and moved his lips down into an exquisite kiss. “Don’t worry, love. I think that’s just about every single member of my family…”

A knock at the door interrupted his statement. Hermione was determined to ignore it, but the person started pounding even harder.

“I think I know which family member we missed,” she said angrily, grabbing her wand as she headed for the door.

When she confirmed what was waiting for her outside the door, she leaned back into Charlie’s warm chest for a moment. He had walked up behind her, lending his support. She could feel a sound rumbling in him, practically a growl. 

“I know you’re in there, Mione!” Ron shouted. He was about to slam into the door when she opened it in front of him. 

Ron stared at the two of them. “What the bloody hell is this?”

“This is none of your business,” Hermione stated firmly. “Why are you pounding on my door?”

He had a look of consternation for a moment as he pushed past into the flat. “You’re not even supposed to be here and I’m telling Harry,” he whined. “But I knew when you weren’t at the Burrow…”

“This is my home, Ron. I can be here if I want. What’s going on?”

He glowered at Charlie, but then turned his attention back to her. “Mione, you know I’ve always loved you. I think it’s time we get back together and settle down.”

There was a beat of silence. Hermione could feel Charlie’s tension, so she clasped his hand in hers. She could feel his love and support in the slight squeeze he gave her.

“Ronald, are you drunk?”

“No. I’m in love!” he sputtered. “With you!”

Hermione shook her head. “Maybe you should try being in love with one of the women you have kids with. Or your current girlfriend.”

“You are the only girlfriend I want!” he declared.

She glanced over her shoulder at Charlie. He nodded and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m with someone already, Ron. And I love him very much.”

Ron’s jaw dropped. “What!? You can’t be with Charlie! He doesn’t even live here, Mione. You’ll be miserable with him. I can be so much more for you.”

“You  _ really _ can’t, Ronald. There are plenty of women who would love for you to put that effort in for them, but I’m happy where I am.”

“Oh yeah? I’m going to prove you’re not right for each other!” Ron shouted.

“How’s that?” Charlie said, his voice almost shaking with his anger.

“The twins have been working on something new. It shows if a relationship is likely to work or not.”

Charlie’s eyes met hers, his eyebrows raised. 

“How does it work?” Hermione asked, careful to put her normal curiosity in her tone.

“It’s brilliant. There are these really great desserts you eat together. If there’s nothing between you, nothing happens. But if there’s more… you’ll be able to see how it’s likely to go.” Ron was grinning. He loved the twins’ inventions. Especially when they were useful to him.

“Sounds like you’ve used this a few times,” Charlie commented.

“Yeah! I love the fireworks. Right useful to know if there’s a spark between you and the bird or not. The longer the fireworks go on, the better it’s going to be between the two of you.” Ron was so clearly enjoying reminiscing about how he had used this information, that he seemed to have forgotten Hermione was even there.

She spoke up, “So it tells you how… attracted you are to each other. What else does this new product do?”

“Well, if there’s real feeling there, it will rain something down on you. Like, for good friends, it’s stars. But if you’re in love, there are hearts. And they come in all different colors that kinda predict how well the relationship will work. Like, pink is for a crush. Red is for new love. Purple means a love that will last if they want it to. They did good work on this one.”

“What does gold mean?” Charlie asked.

Ron laughed. “No one has ever gotten gold. Silver means commitment and a deep bond or something like that. It’s really rare.”

“What does gold mean, Ron?” Hermione repeated Charlie’s question. Their need for an answer suddenly felt urgent.

He rolled his eyes. “It’s soulmates, but no one gets that color.”

Turning to stare into Charlie’s eyes, Hermione pulled a little gold heart from her pocket. Ignoring Ron entirely, she leaned up at the same moment Charlie leaned down and the kiss they shared was everything a kiss between soulmates should be. 

“That’s not… you couldn’t have gotten a gold one. That would mean you two… No!” Ron cried as he really understood. 

“That’s exactly what it means,” Charlie said, his voice soft with adoration of the woman in his arms. “So budge off, Ron. Find someone else to chase. We’re busy.”

Ron glared. “No way. I’m staying right here.”

Hermione opened her mouth to retort, but she didn’t get the chance. She felt the sudden shrinking feeling of Apparation and gasped as she and Charlie landed somewhere outdoors in darkness. 

  
  


********************

  
  


“Charlie…” she gasped.

“Shhhh, love. I finally thought of somewhere we can really be alone. Close your eyes for a minute.”

She did as he asked. She heard him chanting spells. Something about lights, wards to keep them from being bothered, a warming charm, a cushioning charm, transfiguration of some things. She couldn’t wait to see what he had come up with. 

Finally, his quiet voice whispered in her ear. “Open your eyes, love.  _ This _ is what I should have had planned all along.”

Hermione was filled with wonder as she looked around at the little paradise he had created. She could see now that they were beside the lake at the Burrow, but on the far side away from the house and under the giant umbrella of a weeping willow. The graceful branches hung all the way to the ground and were strung with fairy lights. She wasn’t sure if they were actual fairies or the twinkling of spelled lights. They were beautiful either way. The ground was soft, covered in beautiful moss in different shades of green. Near the trunk of the tree, he had made a nest for them, bedding of all kinds, with pillows and blankets galore. Hermione sighed in wonder and turned to him. 

She meant to tell him how glorious the whole thing was, but his lips were on hers before she had the chance. Hermione moaned when he pulled back and began kissing her neck instead. Before she knew what was happening, he scooped her up and carried her to the nest, dropping her on to it. She giggled as she bounced. 

With a quick wave of his hand, their clothes were gone. He stood above her, both of them drinking in the sight of the other’s body. This time, she surprised him by rolling up to her knees and reaching out for him. He sank into the nest and allowed her to pull him close. He knew her intent was to pleasure him with her mouth, but he shook his head. 

“Hermione, love. I’m so turned on and frustrated right now… This first time won’t be long and it may not be satisfying enough. Let me take care of you first, not the other way around.”

She smiled at him, her eyes glowing with love. “No. You’re right that this first time may not go on long, but I don’t think either of us should get off first. I just want to feel you inside me, Charlie. Now.”

“But I haven’t even gotten you ready,” he protested. 

Hermione took his hand and brought his fingers down into her slick folds. She was dripping for him. She heard Charlie’s swift intake of breath as he felt her and swirled his thumb lazily around her clit. Her head dropped back, even as she grabbed his muscled arm and told him no. 

“You’re not getting to me first, remember,” she gasped.

She could die happy listening to his rich, deep laugh at that. But then his body was hovering over hers, his cock ready. Hermione helped his shaking hand line them up. He sank slowly into her, their eyes locked. When he bottomed out, he let out a moan she matched as his head sunk onto her shoulder and he tried to breathe. 

“Hermione… Merlin, I love you with everything I am,” he said.

“Everything,” she gritted out in agreement. “But if you don’t start moving, I’m going to make you regret it.”

He laughed again. “Nothing you could do would make me regret being inside you like this.”

His last word came out in a hiss as she wrapped her legs around his waist to pull him even closer while she raked her nails down his back. That was all it took. His hips thrust without his permission and suddenly they were moving. It took a few minutes to find the perfect rhythm, but every second of it was joyous, even the moments that weren’t perfect.

She came too soon, screaming his name as she fell over the edge. He chased her down with his cock spasming inside her. After, they lay in each other’s arms, panting and trying to fight through the bliss to come back to their bodies and do it all over again. 

When Hermione was finally able to process the world around her, she found his beautiful blue eyes staring at her, into her. He leaned forward and kissed her thoroughly. She was gasping for breath when he spoke.

“Marry me,” he implored.

Hermione gasped, her brain shutting down at the unexpected words, but then roared back to life with all the questions that marriage would bring to their lives.

Charlie smiled and ran a hand through her hair, tucking a curl behind her ear. “Don’t overthink it, love. We don’t have to figure out the details right now. I just know I want to be with you forever.”

“Are you… are you really sure of that already?”

“I’ve been sure of it for years, Hermione.”

They were kissing again as she started to cry happily. “Yes, Charlie. Gods, yes I will marry you tomorrow if you want.”

He squeezed her and laughed. “Tomorrow? Why not today?”

“Because now that we’ve finally escaped all the interruptions, we’re too busy today for something as superfluous as a wedding.”

They laughed together and kissed and proved just how busy they were.

  
  
  
  



End file.
